Some people have book smarts. Some have street smarts. Some are brilliant designers. Some know how to tell a great story or joke. Some are genius with numbers or puzzles. Some know how to make other people feel good about themselves.

Maybe you’ve worked with a brilliant scientist or engineer who can’t handle a simple conversation. They’re bright in one area, not so bright in another.

How smart does a marketer need to be?

Perhaps you’ve been in marketing meetings with obviously smart or accomplished people who quickly prove they have no clue how to articulate a benefit, make a sale or even evaluate a brochure or web page. Yet they impose their opinion on the project.

Video: Who is the smartest guy in this room?

Then there are the business owners who don’t knock you over with conspicuous intellectualism. Yet they’ve built companies, employed dozens or thousands, and made a huge mark on the world.

This is not to say that people with obvious intelligence don’t or can’t make great marketers. But it’s clear that some aspects of intelligence aren’t always so obvious.

It takes all kinds of intelligence

In marketing, our job is to create and execute plans that build a connection between brands, customers and communities. This requires us to understand our company or client, its products and services; our customers or prospects, their practical needs and feelings; and what our competition is up to.

Maybe your role in all this is to manage a process. Or to challenge assumptions. Or to come up with ideas. Or execute particular tasks. Or ask questions about things you don’t understand. (Marketing without inquisitiveness isn’t very bright.)

18 thoughts on “Are You Smart Enough For Marketing?”

Excellent post Barrett! I am a big fan of Gardner. Just as important to me is the idea that along with different intelligences come different learning styles. A teaching mentor of mine had this hanging on her classroom door- We can all learn, but not in the same way, and not on the same day. I believe we can find so much richness through celebrating these differences rather then trying to force an unnatural uniformity. Most people in either discipline don’t want to hear this, but my education degree has been extremely handy to me in my sales career.

Rebecca, I’m learning that Gardner has some fans in the ‘sphere. Great point about education and sales – I’m a big fan of “marketing by education.” If we can be better educators, we can be better marketers. What I’m not a fan of is when people who have a certain kind of intelligence, or training, discount people with different kinds of intelligence and training, and the contribution they can make.barrett recently posted..Why Marketing Fails In Small and Midsize Businesses

Heh, that commercial reminds me of too many meetings I’ve had to endure. 😉 The tragedy I’m seeing – have been seeing – is as belts have tightened over the last 10+ years, we’ve gotten smarter and dumber. We’re smart in wanting more bang for our bucks, better for running leaner businesses. We’re dumber in that we think it all means sales, that we presume that income in – even at a discount, even at a loss (see also Groupon) – is how to run a biz.

It’s all deteriorated to turf wars, fighting from budget scraps. From where I sit, the most important thing a biz can have – smart, effective communications – has been shoved out for the flash-of-the-moment marketing/sales. Newsflash: R&D make you money; your HR dept. can make you money, make you more efficient and more capable; your CRM and PR and communications teams can not only make you money, not only can they save you money via efficiencies and innovations – they can do what it takes to build an established, respected brand that makes your business more valuable. FWIW.Davina K. Brewer recently posted..Real Time, Words with Friends and the Death of Patience

That’s my brother’s favorite commercial of all time. He can barely contain himself when he talks about it.

It sounds like you’ve been in a lot of meetings with the Smartest Guy In The Room. Or maybe even dealing with the HIPPO — the highest paid person’s opinion. The funny thing you’re describing Davina is just what I was talking about yesterday with a potential business partner: There’s more politics in companies than there is in political campaigns!barrett recently posted..Dave Martin, Founder Of The Martin Agency

Could I sit in your chair and do what you do as well as you do it? Nope, and wouldn’t even pretend I could. However, if I wanted or needed that done I would certainly know how to pull that team together. And, I could ask enough of the ‘right’ questions on the front-end to formulate my strategy.

You don’t have to be the smartest guy in the room to get things done; just be smart enough….Bill Dorman recently posted..I am very disappointed in you

I think hard work is underrated. When the answers are obvious, you really need to double check to make sure you asked the right question. And that’s the problem I run into. People leap to conclusions without making sure they understand the source of their problems, or their opportunities.

You’re right, good leaders can get more done than “experts,” because they’re not concerned that their idea carries the day. They’re more concerned with finding the best ideas, not taking credit for themselves. Which is one of the differences between great agencies and OK agencies.

I love smart people. I just don’t like it when people think they’re smarter than they really are. Or they don’t value what their teammates can contribute.

They can be a pain when they’re your colleague, and even worse if you have to report to them.

I was in advertising for a long time. Creative work has to be collaborative. The agencies where the owners took the most pride in letting the people really work, as you say, were the ones that went on to incredible and sustained success.

Of course, the agency owners provided gentle mentorship and set high standards. The creative process can be brutal. But bosses who are truly interested in your best ideas and your best work are the ones who somehow get your best work.

Tim, it’s always amazed me how people can step into marketing, with no particular training, and hit the ground running. While others, who may be accomplished in other ways, have trouble. Since you have a love of teaching, I think you have a leg up.

A few years ago the term “marketing by education” was getting some traction. I think it’s been replaced by “content marketing.” Either way, people are seeking information before they buy anything — from candy bars to cars to massive computer systems. If you like to teach, there’s a place for you in marketing. (My humble opinion!)barrett recently posted..Dave Martin, Founder Of The Martin Agency

Wow Jocelyn, just watching that thing made my head hurt. I don’t think I could go for two hours of it! But yeah, the guy might be an idiot or he may be brilliant. Now… if only he finds a good way to apply his intelligence. 🙂barrett recently posted..For Marketing: Dump The “We” Questions; Ask About “Them”

Thanks for stopping by Susan! I remember the first time I heard the idea about different types of intelligence. It made so much sense. But I hadn’t heard of Mr. Gardner till recently.barrett recently posted..Taking Social Media By The Horns, Where You Live

One of my teachers was an assistant to Harry Gardner when she was getting her degree. She introduced his theory to students during my first year as an undergrad. It makes a lot of sense. I learn best when I can read the material. Audio and visual presentations do very little for my brain.

The lesson for marketers is not of intelligence, but accommodating those learning styles. Adopting to video or visual bookmarking like Pinterest to their activities. Even audio podcasts can be helpful for some.

I’m glad you finished that thought. Absolutely agree. I’m a huge fan of multimedia learning platforms (boy, does that sound like jargon, or what?) for that reason. It seems that actually teaching someone else the material can help you understand and internalize material. At least, that’s my experience.barrett recently posted..Why Marketing Fails In Small and Midsize Businesses